There are no further letters until the end of April, by which time the situation had improved.  Clemens had sold his interest in the Express (though at a loss), had severed his magazine connection, and was located at Quarry Farm, on a beautiful hilltop above Elmira, the home of Mrs. Clemens’s sister, Mrs. Theodore Crane.  The pure air and rest of that happy place, where they were to spend so many idyllic summers, had proved beneficial to the sick ones, and work on the new book progressed in consequence.  Then Mark Twain’s old editor, “Joe” Goodman, came from Virginia City for a visit, and his advice and encouragement were of the greatest value.  Clemens even offered to engage Goodman on a salary, to remain until he had finished his book.  Goodman declined the salary, but extended his visit, and Mark Twain at last seems to have found himself working under ideal conditions.  He jubilantly reports his progress.

To Elisha Bliss, in Hartford: 

Elmira, Monday.  May 15th 1871 friend Bliss,—­Yrs rec’d enclosing check for $703.35 The old “Innocents” holds out handsomely.

I have Ms. enough on hand now, to make (allowing for engravings) about 400 pages of the book—­consequently am two-thirds done.  I intended to run up to Hartford about the middle of the week and take it along; because it has chapters in it that ought by all means to be in the prospectus; but I find myself so thoroughly interested in my work, now (a thing I have not experienced for months) that I can’t bear to lose a single moment of the inspiration.  So I will stay here and peg away as long as it lasts.  My present idea is to write as much more as I have already written, and then cull from the mass the very best chapters and discard the rest.  I am not half as well satisfied with the first part of the book as I am with what I am writing now.  When I get it done I want to see the man who will begin to read it and not finish it.  If it falls short of the “Innocents” in any respect I shall lose my guess.

When I was writing the “Innocents” my daily stunt was 30 pages of Ms and I hardly ever got beyond it; but I have gone over that nearly every day for the last ten.  That shows that I am writing with a red-hot interest.  Nothing grieves me now—­nothing troubles me, nothing bothers me or gets my attention—­I don’t think of anything but the book, and I don’t have an hour’s unhappiness about anything and don’t care two cents whether school keeps or not.  It will be a bully book.  If I keep up my present lick three weeks more I shall be able and willing to scratch out half of the chapters of the Overland narrative—­and shall do it.

You do not mention having received my second batch of Ms, sent a week or two ago—­about 100 pages.

If you want to issue a prospectus and go right to canvassing, say the word and I will forward some more Ms—­or send it by hand—­special messenger.  Whatever chapters you think are unquestionably good, we will retain of course, so they can go into a prospectus as well one time as another.  The book will be done soon, now.  I have 1200 pages of Ms already written and am now writing 200 a week—­more than that, in fact; during the past week wrote 23 one day, then 30, 33, 35, 52, and 65.  —­How’s that?